FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   >>  
his way to the third-class compartment to acquaint his fellow-traveller with the extent of the disaster Abbleway hurriedly pondered the question of the woman's nationality. He had acquired a smattering of Slavonic tongues during his residence in Vienna, and felt competent to grapple with several racial possibilities. "If she is Croat or Serb or Bosniak I shall be able to make her understand," he promised himself. "If she is Magyar, heaven help me! We shall have to converse entirely by signs." He entered the carriage and made his momentous announcement in the best approach to Croat speech that he could achieve. "The train has broken away and left us!" The woman shook her head with a movement that might be intended to convey resignation to the will of heaven, but probably meant noncomprehension. Abbleway repeated his information with variations of Slavonic tongues and generous displays of pantomime. "Ah," said the woman at last in German dialect, "the train has gone? We are left. Ah, so." She seemed about as much interested as though Abbleway had told her the result of the municipal elections in Amsterdam. "They will find out at some station, and when the line is clear of snow they will send an engine. It happens that way sometimes." "We may be here all night!" exclaimed Abbleway. The woman nodded as though she thought it possible. "Are there wolves in these parts?" asked Abbleway hurriedly. "Many," said the woman; "just outside this forest my aunt was devoured three years ago, as she was coming home from market. The horse and a young pig that was in the cart were eaten too. The horse was a very old one, but it was a beautiful young pig, oh, so fat. I cried when I heard that it was taken. They spare nothing." "They may attack us here," said Abbleway tremulously; "they could easily break in, these carriages are like matchwood. We may both be devoured." "You, perhaps," said the woman calmly; "not me." "Why not you?" demanded Abbleway. "It is the day of Saint Maria Kleopha, my name-day. She would not allow me to be eaten by wolves on her day. Such a thing could not be thought of. You, yes, but not me." Abbleway changed the subject. "It is only afternoon now; if we are to be left here till morning we shall be starving." "I have here some good eatables," said the woman tranquilly; "on my festival day it is natural that I should have provision with me. I have five good bloo
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   126   127   128   129   130   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141   142   143   144   145   146   147   148   149   150  
151   152   153   154   >>  



Top keywords:
Abbleway
 

hurriedly

 

wolves

 

thought

 

Slavonic

 
tongues
 
devoured
 

heaven

 
forest
 

market


coming

 

subject

 
changed
 

afternoon

 
provision
 

natural

 
festival
 
morning
 

starving

 

eatables


tranquilly

 

Kleopha

 

attack

 

tremulously

 

beautiful

 

easily

 

demanded

 

calmly

 

carriages

 

nodded


matchwood

 
promised
 

Magyar

 

understand

 

possibilities

 
Bosniak
 

converse

 
announcement
 

approach

 
speech

momentous
 

entered

 
carriage
 
racial
 

traveller

 

extent

 
disaster
 

pondered

 
fellow
 

acquaint